International
Nicolás Maduro says that the cane will remain in good hands in the years to come
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said this Friday, when there are 23 days left for the presidential elections, that the staff of command of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces will remain in “good hands” in the years to come and, he said, “never” will fall into the hands of an “oligarch.”
“I swear to you soldiers of my homeland, I swear to you people of Venezuela, that this command baton of commander-in-chief of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) (…) will remain in good hands in the years to come,” said the president, who led a civic-military parade in Caracas, about Independence Day in Venezuela.
Maduro maintained that the command baton will “never” fall into the hands of an “oligarch, a puppet, a traitor, I swear, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces will never have that embarrassing act of dishonor.”
The president of Venezuela added that that cane has been carried with “honor, honesty.”
“I have never trembled any imperial threat from the north or anyone, or from oligarchs, or from fascists,” he said.
He added that patriotism is out of love for history, for the right to the future, to be free and independent.
“When we say that we are anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist we do it out of love for the right we have to be free and in our homeland to decide what we have to decide,” he said.
This Friday, the candidate of Venezuela’s largest opposition coalition – Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) -, Edmundo González Urrutia, promised to modernize the FANB for the “new strategic military scenarios that are glimpsed at the national and global level,” in case of winning the presidential elections on July 28.
“Soldiers of the Venezuelan Armed Forces for that reason the Venezuelan people ask them to respect the results of their electoral decision (…) the Venezuelan people count on their military institution to respect and respect their sovereign will on July 28,” he said in a statement, about the 213 years of Venezuela’s independence.
International
Brazil offers to mediate Colombia-Ecuador tensions, calls for restraint
The government of Brazil has offered to mediate in the ongoing tensions between Colombia and Ecuador, while calling on both nations to exercise restraint.
In a statement released Wednesday, Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the parties involved to act with moderation and seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
“Brazil encourages all sides to act with moderation in order to find a peaceful solution to the controversy. It stands ready to support dialogue efforts aimed at preserving peace and security in the region,” the statement said.
Brazil also expressed “serious concern” over reports of deaths in the border area between Colombia and Ecuador, noting that the circumstances surrounding the incidents have not yet been clarified.
The diplomatic move comes amid rising tensions between the neighboring countries, increasing regional concern over stability and security along their shared border.
International
U.S. lowers travel advisory for much of Venezuela but keeps high-risk zones under warning
The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday that it has lowered its travel advisory for much of Venezuela to Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”), reflecting what it described as improved security conditions in parts of the country.
However, the agency will maintain the highest Level 4 warning (“Do Not Travel”) for several regions, including the states of Táchira, Amazonas, Apure, Aragua and Guárico, as well as rural areas of Bolívar, citing ongoing risks such as crime, kidnapping and terrorism.
The updated advisory marks a shift from December, when the United States raised the alert for Venezuela to Level 4 nationwide, warning of severe security threats.
Despite the partial downgrade, U.S. authorities continue to urge caution, emphasizing that conditions remain volatile in certain areas and that travelers should carefully assess risks before planning any trips to the country.
International
EU lawmakers move to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual nude images
Members of the European Parliament are pushing to ban across the bloc artificial intelligence services that allow users to digitally “undress” people without their consent.
The proposal, adopted on Wednesday at committee level, aims to prohibit applications that generate non-consensual explicit images. Irish lawmaker Michael McNamara, one of the sponsors, said the measure seeks to stop tools that “have caused significant harm for the benefit of a few.”
Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak welcomed the move, calling it “a major victory, especially for women and children in Europe.”
The amendment, part of broader EU legislation on artificial intelligence, was approved by the Parliament’s civil liberties and internal market committees. It specifically targets systems that use AI to create or manipulate sexually explicit or intimate images resembling identifiable individuals without their consent.
The proposal will be put to a full vote in the European Parliament on March 26. If adopted, lawmakers and European Union member states will need to agree on a final version before it can take effect.
Separately, representatives of the 27 EU countries recently backed a Franco-Spanish amendment seeking to ban AI services used to generate non-consensual sexual images or child sexual abuse material.
The initiative follows controversy surrounding a feature introduced in Grok, developed by xAI, which allowed users to create simulated nude images from real photos. The tool sparked widespread criticism and prompted an EU investigation.
In response, xAI restricted image generation features in mid-January to paying subscribers and stated it blocks the creation of sexualized images in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.
Brazil offers to mediate Colombia-Ecuador tensions, calls for restraint
U.S. lowers travel advisory for much of Venezuela but keeps high-risk zones under warning
EU lawmakers move to ban AI tools that generate non-consensual nude images
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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